I grew up in Chelsea and Newton, Mass. and now make my home in Arlington. I taught high school in Haverhill and Burlington until 2007, and have been a writer for about as long as I was a teacher. Maybe longer. While much of my writing is business-
...

I grew up in Chelsea and Newton, Mass. and now make my home in Arlington. I taught high school in Haverhill and Burlington until 2007, and have been a writer for about as long as I was a teacher. Maybe longer. While much of my writing is business-related, I also write whenever I travel and I travel whenever I can.

Because of Portugal's maritime successes in the 15th century, Lisbon's harbor area boasts other tributes to the country's navigators besides the Monument to the Age of Discovery in the previous post. The Tower of Belém commemorates Vasco da Gama's expedition, and celebrates the period of Portugal’s history that was central to the discoveries of the modern world.

Belem tower

Also in honor of da Gama's voyage, King Manuel I built the Monastery of Jeronimos in 1502 in the location where the navigator and his crew spent their last night before leaving for India. Vasco da Gama's tomb is inside, as are the tombs of King Manuel and other nobility and some literary figures of that day. The design of this monastery is elegantly detailed and has several maritime features (ropes, shells, etc.) This style came to be known as Manueline, and we will see it again throughout Portugal.

The Monastery of Jeronimos from golisbon.com

Inside the monastery, Tomb of Vasco de Gama.

Vasco da Gama's tomb in the Monastery of Jeronimos

Following the introduction to Lisbon via the Harbor, the tour moves on to the National Coach Museum. This museum houses a significant collection of 18th century carriages, generally used for royalty, and decorated accordingly. The opulence and elegance of these vehicles is striking.

I have seen the extravagant homes in the United States, like the estates in Newport or the Hearst Castle in California. I've seen the trappings of great wealth in the U.S. But the United States has never had 'royalty'. So any time I visit a place that has palaces, castles, and royal carriages, I feel like I'm looking through a keyhole at something slightly unreal. How could such luxury and expense belong to one family? (To be honest, I feel the same when I watch Downton Abbey.... ) That's how I feel admiring these coaches.

From Portugal's National Coach Museum

At the other end of the transportation spectrum are the three ‘funiculars’—old-fashioned trolley cars that take people up the steep hills of Lisbon for beautiful views of the city from the heights. When we have some time on our own, Linda and I venture into the hills and see the city spread out before us, reaching to the sea.

View from the hills

I also have a good view of St. George’s Castle (below). The Castle was originally established in the 6th century by Romans, and fortified later by Visigoths and the Moors. It was the Moorish royal residence until King Alonso Henriques captured in in 1147, and dedicated it to St. George.

Hilltop view of St. George’s Castle

Much of the castle was destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1755. This is the first I learn of this massive earthquake.

The seismic tremors that shook Lisbon over 250 years ago struck early on November 1, All Saints’ Day, when many of the population were attending mass. The quake produced a tsunami that was about twenty feet high in Lisbon; the waves traveled as far as Algiers.

The churches, filled with worshippers were unable to withstand the quake and collapsed, killing or injuring many thousands of people. Others died in fires or in the tsunami. In total, about 60,000 people of Lisbon died, and over 10,000 dwellings were destroyed. While I learn about this from guides, I see no tributes of monuments to those lost in this great natural disaster.